In an operating system, such as Windows™ Operating System (trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash.), a context menu is the menu that is opened on the screen when the user clicks on the right mouse button when the cursor is on or in the vicinity of a file, folder, application title bar, or nearly any other object on the screen. Most of the time, this menu includes a list of actions appropriate to the object on which the user has clicked. Options in the context menu are fixed and typically do not change, e.g., “Copy,” “Paste,” “Delete,” “Rename,” “Open,” and “Properties,” to name a few.
Options depend upon the type of file that is defined by its extension. For example, in Windows™, an executable file has an “.exe” extension at the end of the filename. Thus, the context menu for an “.exe” file will also typically include a “Run as” option item.
Some applications, e.g., Winzip™ (trademark of Winzip Computing, Mansfield, Conn.) are able to add their own items (e.g., add to zip file), extending the power of the context menu paradigm.